Burial Site
The party are busy in Wrafton's Inn, being unable to buy drinks for themselves. Lord Padraig arrives and buys drinks for everyone and the celebrations continue into the night. Valthrun the Prescient also makes an appearance and makes his way to the adventurers. He admits that when they first arrived in town he took them for simple tomb raiders and had no intention of helping, but having seen them solve the town's kobold problem he has changed his mind. If they come see him in the morning, he will tell all he knows about the ruined keep.
The next day, slightly worst for wear, they head to Valthrun's tower. He tells them the ruined keep was built over a rift to the Shadowfell (a realm of the undead) and for years soldiers of the Nareth Empire where stationed there to keep watch for any incursion. That was until a once great Paladin, Sir Keegan, was driven mad, slaughtered his family and turned on his soldiers. He was eventually driven into the tunnels under the keep and intombed there forever. The place was cursed and after the Nareth Empire colapsed, the place fell into ruin. If death cultists are investigating the ruins it can only be to gain access to the rift and must be stopped.
Dispite this ominous news the party are still keen to search for their mentor Douven Staul, and so prepare to head to the site of a dragon burial. They sell the wagon and horses at the stable and armour and weapons to the Smithy Thair Coalstriker. Haagan negotiates an excellent rate (Diplomacy Critical) and commissions a new Heavy Shield, emblazoned with the symbol of Kord. The Dwarf is also capable of enchantment rituals and begins work on converting the Wand of Luck into a rod. It seems Coalstriker is bored making ploughshares for farmers and exotic commisions for adventurers are more to his liking.
The group leave town and head for the burial site. Some five mile south they approach a steep-sided crater, milling about in the centre are a number of thuggish looking men and a couple of guard drakes. But more ominously, watching from above, a sinister apparition seems to be directing their efforts.
Pontuus, Haagan and Happy Angel advance into the crater, while Alykacha uses cover to aim her crossbow and Moonscale moves to higher ground to cast his spells. Pontuus engages the drakes with Haagan hot on his heels. The two Drow both strike the apparition with their bolts, of steel and ice. As the human thugs begin to fall, a crossbow bolt appears out of nowhere, narrowly missing Alykacha. An invisible enemy on the field?
The apparition begins to use its foul magic and claws of smoke rise out of the ground, clawing at Pontuus and he is momentarily entangled. A Freezing Burst from Moonscale takes out most of the thugs and slows the drakes. The first drake succumbs to Pontuus blows but the multiple attacks he has received makes Pontuus glad of Haagan's support as a Healing Word restores him to strength.
The invisible enemy momentarily appears as it attacks the party. The small Fey hummanoid is driven back, and vanishes after taking some damage.
Leaping over the heads of her friends, Alykacha strikes at the apparition. In retaliation, it gestures towards one of the dead humans, which rises stiffly at its masters command. Haagan is quick to smite this undead construction and it is knocked back and immobilized.
The party is free now to concentrate on the apparition. Under a volly of attacks its collapses and dissipates, Alykacha placing the killing blow. As it fades, so too does the magic holding together the undead human. The battlefield is empty? The small Fey hummanoid does not reappear, presumably it fled once its comrades died.
Searching the site, the adventurers find Douven Staul. He had been held prisoner for a number of weeks, and was not looking foward to whatever plans the death cultists had in store for him. He decided to head home to his wife but not before he gives the party a +1 Amulet of Health, sure they will need it more than he. They also recover 65 gp and 13 sp and an ancient mirror (550 gp).
XP
Guard Drakes: 2x125=250
Human Rabble: 4x31=125 (I rounded up
)
Spectral Apparition: 175
Rescuing Mentor: 1,250